Rotary Club of Fairbanks

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Rotary Club of Fairbanks

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Rotarians are just ordinary people doing extraordinary things by working together. It's the original social network for good. We meet Thursdays at 12:00 p.m.

The Rotary Club of Fairbanks is a service organization composed of business and professional leaders that conducts community service projects, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and fellowship. Our club includes men and women of varied backgrounds, faiths, experiences, and resources working together to serve others, truly putting "service above self." We are part of Rotary International, which includes over 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide carrying out a remarkable variety of humanitarian and educational service projects that touch people’s lives in their local communities and our world community. for lunch, fellowship, and informative programs at the Westmark Hotel, 813 Noble Street, Fairbanks, Alaska. What do we do besides have lunch on Thursdays?
• Raise money through the Chena River Run and other events to fund community projects and organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, Literacy Council, Gordon Wear Park, Interior Neighborhood Health Clinic, United Way, and the Clay Street Cemetery.
• Participate in goodwill projects for the Fairbanks Children’s Museum, Salvation Army, Fairbanks Community Food Bank, Clean-Up Day, Love INC, and many others.
• Send exchange students all over the world, and host others in return.
• Host young professionals from around the world and sponsor Alaskan teams in international vocational exchanges to promote peace and understanding.
• Actively support the Rotary Foundation Polio Plus campaign to eliminate this disease worldwide.
• Provide over $10,000 each year in grants to Fairbanks-area nonprofit organizations.
• Support international projects such as water purification units and shelter boxes to aid people in the Philippines, clean water projects in the Middle East, and aid to Syrian refugees.
• Provide scholarships to students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

10/23/2026

It was a great day with United Way of the Tanana Valley and the dessert auction at our meeting today!
Thank you to Kayla Smith, the Executive Director of the United Way Of the Tanana Valley, and also our amazing Rotarian, for a great presentation today!

10/21/2026

Thursday Lunch Program: United Way at 70: Building for the Future

Join us this week for an update from fellow Rotarian Kayla Smith, Executive Director of United Way of the Tanana Valley. After serving the organization as a volunteer, board member and Board President, Kayla became Executive Director in January 2026. Since then, she has focused on restoring organizational stability, strengthening community partnerships and building a foundation for long-term success.

As United Way marks its 70th annual campaign, Kayla will discuss the organization’s progress, the momentum building across the Tanana Valley, and her vision for the future. She will also recognize the longstanding support of local Rotarians and invite an open conversation about United Way’s direction, operations, and organizational health.

Following the program, our club will hold a dessert auction benefiting United Way’s Community Care Fund. You can still donate a dessert—contact Kayla or bring one to Thursday’s luncheon. Come prepared to satisfy your sweet tooth while supporting our local nonprofit community!

10/17/2026

Calling all bakers, dessert makers, and sweet treat enthusiasts!

At our Thursday, October 22 Rotary luncheon, we will be hosting a dessert auction benefiting United Way of the Tanana Valley, and we need your help filling the auction table!

If you would like to contribute, please let our Rotarian Kayla Smith know.

We hope to make this auction a HUGE success.

10/15/2026

This week's program- Downtown Revitalization and Housing in Fairbanks

Join us this week for a presentation by former Fairbanks Mayor David Pruhs on downtown revitalization and housing in our community.

A lifelong Fairbanksan, David graduated from Monroe Catholic High School and earned a degree in business administration, with a concentration in real estate and finance, from California Polytechnic State University. He began his career as a real estate appraiser in 1982 and is now the owner and broker of Pruhs Real Estate Group.

David served on the Fairbanks City Council from 2014 to 2020 and as mayor from 2022 to 2025, helping lead efforts to remove the Polaris Building and address other vacant and blighted downtown properties. He also serves on the boards of Fairbanks Neighborhood Housing and the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation. In addition to his work in real estate and public service, David is known to many Interior residents as the host of KFAR’s Problem Corner and Fairbanks Foodies.

10/08/2026

Join us on Thursday for our weekly meeting: “Supporting Our Neighbors: The Fairbanks Warming Shelter”.

Presentation by Pete Pinney, executive director of the North Star Community Foundation. Pete will discuss the shelter’s role in our community and the work being done to support Fairbanks residents in need.

Pete Pinney is currently serving as executive director of the North Star Community Foundation, with the goal of promoting philanthropy in Fairbanks and Interior Alaska through development of the non-profit sector and public service. He is retired emeritus Associate Vice Chancellor for Rural, Community and Native Education/Executive Dean of the College of Rural and Community Development. He conducts grant proposal writing workshops for community organizations and government agencies in person and on EdX. He also volunteers for Red Cross and PFLAG Fairbanks.

10/03/2026

Huge congratulations to Tommy G for receiving the Paul Harris Society Award (+4) !

09/30/2026

Thursday Presentation: Celebrating Filipino Culture and Community in Fairbanks

Join us this week for a presentation by Mary Jo Skaggs, President of the Filipino American Society of Fairbanks. The nonprofit organization celebrates Filipino culture, strengthens community connections and creates opportunities for greater engagement among Filipinos in Fairbanks and throughout Alaska.

Mary Jo Skaggs was born in Cebu, Philippines, and immigrated to Alaska as a child. She grew up in North Pole and earned her MBA from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she also spent 10 years working professionally. Her time at UAF included work with K–12 Outreach and later as a grant manager. Through that work, she gained greater insight into Alaska’s changing communities, including the growing number of Filipino teachers coming to communities throughout the state. Her grant management experience now helps her identify and pursue funding opportunities to support the work of the Filipino American Society of Fairbanks. In 2024, Mary Jo helped establish the Office of Citizenship Assistance within the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The office was created to help legal immigrants connect with resources and services as they navigate life in a new country. Her professional experiences, combined with her own experience as a Filipino Alaskan, have shaped her commitment to strengthening community connections and creating opportunities for Filipino voices to be represented and heard. For the past 20 years, Mary Jo and her husband, Jeff, who serves in the Alaska Air National Guard, have made Fairbanks their home and are proud to have raised their three children in the community.

09/23/2026

What Makes Interior Alaska Home?

Is it the long summer days? The quiet of a snowy winter? A favorite trail, a local tradition, or a familiar face around town?

Maybe it’s the people who show up when a neighbor needs a hand, the volunteers who give their time, or the local organizations working every day to make our communities stronger.

What makes Interior Alaska feel like home to you? Tell us in the comments! ⬇️💛

09/21/2026

Farm to Table: A Sold-Out Success

Join us this week on Thursday, 9/24/2026, 12pm, Westmark Hotel- as members of the organizing committee share a behind-the-scenes look at the event, report on its success, and recognize the many people and partners who helped bring this special fundraiser to life.

Last month’s Farm to Table event at Hawks Greenhouse brought together 130 guests for an evening in support of The Rotary Foundation—and sold every available seat.

Address

Fairbanks, AK
99707

Website

https://www.fairbanksrotary.org/, https://runsignup.com/Race/AK/Fairbanks/ThChenaRiverRun5K

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